Every year World Logic Day is observed on 14 January, having been declared by Unesco in partnership with the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences (CIPSH).
The purpose of the day is to bring the intellectual history, conceptual significance and practical implications of logic to the attention of interdisciplinary science communities and the broader public.
The South African Mathematics Foundation (SAMF) highlights the importance of mathematics as a tool to help develop logical thinking.
In a study published on 29 July 2020, researchers found ‘that, in general, the greater the mathematics training of the participant, the more tasks were completed correctly, and that performance on some tasks was also associated with performance on others not traditionally associated’.
The study further reports that ‘intensive training has been shown to impact the brain and cognition across a number of domains, from music to video gaming, and Braille reading’.
The SAMF currently offers two learner development programmes to help primary and high school children to sharpen their logical thinking skills.
The NESTLÉ NESPRAY South African Mathematics Challenge (SAMC) is for grades 4 to 7, and the Old Mutual South African Mathematics Olympiad (SAMO), co-sponsored by the South African Institute for Chartered Accountants (SAICA) is for grades 8 to 12.
Both competitions consist of non-routine mathematical problems, which stimulate learners to think further than in the classroom.
‘The idea of the challenge is to start developing logical thinking at a young age,’ says Ashley Ah Goo, vice-chair of the problem committee for the SAMC.
‘Teachers, parents, and learners must realise that the questions will be difficult. Why else would we call it the Mathematics Challenge?’
Registration for the SAMO and SAMC opened yesterday (3 January).
Parents who want to register their children must reach out to the school’s mathematics teacher.
The entry forms will be available on www.samf.ac.za
Registrations for the olympiad close on 21 February, and for the challenge on 24 February.
For more information, email info@samf.ac.za
